Cookies on HFTP Bytes

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some are essential to make our site work; others help us give you the best possible user experience.By using the site, you consent to the placement of these cookies. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Read our Privacy Notice to learn more.

Letter from the HFTP Global President: At the End of the Year, We Reflect on the Best of the Year

Members Only: 2018 HFTP Compensation and Benefits Report

By Tanya Venegas, MBA, MHM, CHIA. Results to the biannual survey conducted by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP). Information includes data on compensation and benefits trends for finance and technology professionals in the club and lodging industries.

IT Spending in the Lodging Industry Three-year Analysis: 2015–2017

By Agnes DeFranco, Ed.D., CHAE; Arlene Ramirez, CHE, CHAE; and Tanya Venegas, MBA, MHM, CHIA. PART II: An analysis of IT spending data in the lodging industry based on reporting in the new USALI Schedule 6 — Information and Telecommunications Systems.

Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina on September, 14th, and even though the storm was downgraded, Florence brought over 8 trillion gallons of rain to NC; reports, National Weather Service. Warnings from the National Weather Service for potential “life-threatening, catastrophic flash floods and prolonged significant river flooding”, continue to put many residents at risk in the Carolinas.

Employers face so many challenges in understanding various leave laws. There are few day-to-day occurrences in the workplace that raise more legal, logistical, and financial questions than an employee’s request for leave. When such a request is made, the employer is faced with the loss of an employee and the accompanying effects on productivity, workflow, and morale. Compounding matters, the employer must navigate through a confusing—sometimes conflicting— maze of federal and state leave obligations in order to determine how to handle the leave request.

One of the most pressing concerns we hear from club management is Human Resource issues- known, and unknown. Often, clubs either cannot afford internal HR resources, or unable to devote the administrative time needed to address their exposed risks. Hear from our Director of HR Partnerships at CertiPay, Rachel Comella as she shares the 'Most Common, Most Expensive HR Mistakes' in this 10 Minute video trainer. See how you can avoid these same pitfalls, and defend your club against an FLSA investigation.

Frontline responsibility for compliance with the FMLA often rests with supervisors and managers. Are your club managers and supervisors able to recognize whether an employee’s absence— including leaving early, coming in late, or not coming in at all—is covered under the FMLA provisions?

With renewed interest under President Donald Trump’s administration, we can look forward to a “four or five times” increase of worksite investigation audits in 2018, by the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tripling its number of officers and number of enforcement actions, announced Acting Director of (ICE) Thomas Homan in October 2017. ICE is charged with enforcing immigration law and is scrutinizing employers on Form I-9 employment eligibility verification. Fines for I-9 violations can range up to $2,000 per instance, and some employers could face criminal prosecution for non-compliance.

When you join an organization, there’s usually a reason you chose to associate yourself with that particular group. Whether the organization is a business, club, or other group, there’s an aspect that you personally identified with, and felt you’d fit in, so you joined. Alternatively, you may have considered joining an organization, and nonetheless declined to join because you felt it wasn’t a good fit. Or may have joined for a time, and then decided the place wasn’t for you.

It is good to allow your staff time off from work for their overall health and morale. Granting employees time off to recuperate during an illness, after an injury, or to handle affairs in their personal lives, enables them to be more focused when they return to work and able to engage in the tasks at hand. Too many absences, however, can be costly for employers and frustrating for other team members who have to pick up the slack.

After passing both the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives, President Donald Trump signed the new tax reform bill, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, into law on December 22, 2017.
This tax reform bill, is based on a tax reform plan that was developed in consultation with the Trump administration, and will make significant changes to the federal tax code.

Imperial Golf Club in Naples Florida, partners with ClubPay to manage their club's payroll, timekeeping, and growing HR needs. Now, having made the switch, Thomas Smith, Chief Business Officer at Imperial GC says, "They live up to their reputation, our implementation representative went above and beyond to get us what we needed, and was a steady presence as we went through it all."

70% of employers report prescription drug abuse within their organizations. The U.S. opioid addiction crisis is hitting the workplace hard, and employers need to be prepared to respond. As of April 2016, "the opioid war" had claimed 200,000 lives, more than three time the number of U.S. military deaths in the Vietnam War. There is no end in sight.- reported, by The Washington Post this week.

Join ClubPay's HR Partner this Wednesday at HFTP's Club Digital Learning Day, for a webinar discussion on the differences of, Payroll vs. PEO, vs. HRO, and what to consider in finding the best fit for your organization.
CertiPay President, James Knight, and Senior Human Resource Consultant at CertiPay, Clare Vazquez Peace will discuss the difference between PEO, vs. HRO, vs. Payroll during the 1:30-2:30 PM webinar session at HFTP's online event tomorrow. During the Payroll and PEOs webinar session, James and Clare will discuss the decision drivers to consider when going into a PEO relationship, and for coming out of a PEO solution- SUTA rate, W/C rate, administrative cost, HR cost, and cost of benefits.

This article is posted with a heavy heart, that many of us share as we view images from the wake of Hurricane Harvey overwhelming South Texas, and now, in Louisiana as heavy rain continues to force more families out of their homes and communities. With more rain predicted to continue through the end of the week- no one can predict what recovery will look like until the water recedes.

OSHA published a notice of proposed rule making to extend the electronic submission date from July 1, 2017 to December 1, 2017. This action allows time for the new administration to review the electronic reporting requirements prior to implementation, and allows time for affected entities to familiarize themselves with the electronic reporting system, which will be available on August 1st.

Within the past few years, Millennials have made a strong presence entering the labor market, making up a third of the present workforce, and this is expected to increase by 50 percent over the next couple years. The influx of fresh talent offers an unprecedented opportunity to hire some of the best and brightest to strengthen our teams. Identifying the right people, sifting through an abnormally large number of applicants and finding the best person for the job are all challenges that can be offset with the right hiring tools in place to streamline the approval process, attract, and engage the best candidates to join your club team. Here are a few tips on how technology is changing the way clubs hire.

"Is it better to promote employees from within to management or hire new?
Watch the first episode of our 5-part webinar series, Myth Busters Guide to Hiring in 2017 and find out if this myth is totally busted...
We asked our VP of HR Services at CertiPay, -Alfred Roush Esq. SPHR, SHRM-SCP, to help us expose the truth around hiring best practice in 2017. During each 15 minute episode of this 5-part webinar series, Alfred will debunk the myths around compensation analysis, when to do background checks, and if it is better to promote employees from within to management or hire new.

Ten Myth Busters for Hiring in 2017 Will you be at CMAA? Visit our HR Consultant Alfred Roush Esq. SPHR, SHRM-SCP, and VP of HR Services at CertiPay, as he debunks the Myths for Hiring in 2017 at the CMAA Conference on Club Management this Tuesday, February 7th, 12-1pm. Competency Area: External &amp; Governmental Influences; Human &amp; Professional Resources.

Reclassified employees may have to follow procedures and policies that didn’t apply to them before—or that you didn’t have. Changing habits can be a challenge, but changing those of your formerly exempt employees with respect to hours worked and tracked is critical to preventing wage and hour violations.

New OSHA Electronic Reporting Required in 2017 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new final rule revising its regulation on Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. The new rule will require certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness data. It also adds emphasis on prohibiting employers from discouraging employees of making an injury and illness report.

In order to effectively manage a club, decisions have to be made on a daily basis involving employees and how to manage them. Clubs take on the same risk as a large business when it comes to labor law compliance, but many do not have the same resources to confidently face evolving regulatory compliance, and many are finding liability for non-compliance costly.

Our club has a regular full-time workforce of approximately 40 employees. This year, we're planning to hire more full-time seasonal employees. How do we determine whether doing so will subject us to the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) employer shared responsibility rules? Answer: To determine whether your company is subject to the ACA's employer shared responsibility rules – commonly referred to as the "play or pay" provision – you must count all of your employees. But, there are special rules for seasonal workers. Determining ALE Status

Beginning in December, salaried overtime exempt employees whose pay fall below the $47,476 (administrative) and $134,004 (executive) pay threshold, will be entitled to overtime pay due to the soon-to-be higher income threshold. For these salaried workers who will be affected by the new overtime pay requirements, it’s important to begin tracking their actual hours worked now to ensure that the hours:

Starting December 1, new overtime rules kick in that will make millions more employees qualify for
overtime pay.
The changes include a dramatically higher pay threshold that determines whether workers are eligible for overtime at a rate of at least one and one-half times their regular pay. With a few months of lead time, employers need to take a look at their operations and decide how to incorporate the changes.

Starting December 1, new overtime rules kick in that will qualify millions more workers for overtime pay. By dramatically raising the pay threshold determining whether workers are eligible for overtime at a rate of at least one and one-half time their regular pay. With only a few months of lead time, employers need to take a look at their operations and decide how to incorporate these changes.

Does the Department of Labor (DOL) have the authority to enforce rules related to tip pooling if the employer does not take a tip credit? Yes. According to the recent ruling in the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, employers cannot require tipped employees to share their tips with un-tipped employees.

Studies show each year, nearly 25% of workers go through some type of career transition; particularly in the hospitality industry most new hires decide whether to stay within the first six months on the job. Replacing a talented club employee can cost two times the worker’s salary, and the monetary value is only part of it. A failed hire impacts your whole team by increased workload, poor morale and overall job satisfaction.